Nash eager to get started on his new career as Nets coach

NEW YORK » Steve Nash was a leader, a guy who loved to get the best out of his teammates on the court and build relationships with them off it.

Those qualities helped him become a Hall of Fame player.

Now he thinks they can make him a successful coach.

Nash was introduced Wednesday by the Brooklyn Nets, who picked him to guide Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and the rest of a team with high expectations despite him having no coaching experience.

“I love to compete. I love to teach, to lead and to be a part of a team. And so to be in a position where I can use all those things on a day-to-day basis and focus all my energy on those tenets is a perfect fit,” Nash said.

“So while I hadn’t necessarily publicly stated my desire to coach, privately it’s always been in my mind, it’s always been an opportunity that suited me. When you can’t run up and down the court anymore, what can you do? What can you contribute?”

The Nets believe there is plenty.

General manager Sean Marks played with Nash in Phoenix, when the Suns helped usher in an exciting era of high-scoring basketball, and knows how his fearlessness can galvanize an organization.

“Look, there’s nobody that I’ve been around that hasn’t wanted to be pressure tested on the spot quite like Steve. He’s never shied away from a moment,” Marks said.

“This guy has never run from anything and he wants the ball in his hands at the end of games and his career spoke for itself. He made the right decision more times than not, so the experience that he’ll bring here speaks volumes.”

The two struck up a friendship off the court, talking about life outside of basketball. When Marks was looking for a coach this summer, Nash called and asked if this was the time for him to pursue it.

Marks agreed it was, citing Nash’s ability to connect people and drive a culture. And Nash, having played against Durant and Irving and becoming friends with both, is eager to impart his smarts on a roster that has plenty of skills.

“They’re obviously at an incredible point in the history of this organization, so I think the timing is fantastic, the opportunity is fantastic,” Nash said.

The hiring was a surprise, with Nash apparently not telling many of his friends within the league of his interest in coaching. And it led to some criticism that he got a coveted opportunity at the top without having to work his way up from the bottom.

There were also a criticism that Black assistants with similar qualifications don’t receive the same opportunities in a league where there are only five Black head coaches. Nash agreed that he has benefited from white privilege in some aspects but not this one.

“I’m not sure that this is an example that fits that conversation but I own it and I understand why it’s important to talk about it and that we do need more diversity and more opportunity for African American coaches and staff in all capacities,” Nash said.

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3-pointer with just under a minute left in double overtime, Kyle Lowry got an acrobatic jumper to fall with 11.7 seconds left and the Raptors beat Boston to force a Game 7.

Lowry scored 33 points in 53 minutes for Toronto. Norman Powell had 23, including a pair of free throws with 5.0 seconds remaining. Fred VanVleet scored 21 points for the Raptors, who needed the win to extend their season, and Anunoby had 13 points and 13 rebounds.